Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action (COLA) says it is not satisfied with the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital’s response to the 13 neonatal deaths that occurred in the hospital’s newborn Intensive Care Unit last month.

At a press conference on Tuesday, COLA president Geovanni Brackett described the NICU deaths as “a medical disaster.”

In a room full of members and supporters, some carrying placards, Bracket, who was flanked on both sides by parents of the infants, said, “We need to hear from KHMH’s CEO, to make sure something like this never happens again.”

Brackett also took issue with the fact that the Minister of Health, Pablo Marin, who was present at last week’s KHMHA press conference had nothing to say to the Belizean people.

“[He] did not say a word,” Brackett said. “And the press, for whatever reasons, didn’t ask him any questions. What is he hiding or who is he hiding from?”

He added that the Belizean people cannot have a minister of health sitting silently at a press conference head table, when “13 children have died and say nothing.”

Brackett said that the Belizean public needs to see someone held accountable.

COLA Vice President Gilroy Usher Jr., described the event as “tragic.”

He said it is even more tragic to attempt to suppress of confuse those who have suffered most by the tragedy.

Community activist and COLA member Nedal Murphy ‘Jihad’ McLaren blamed the hospital for “medical negligence.”

McLaren also made the charge that “there was leadership negligence and management negligence within the KHMH.”

Patrick Menzies, the president of Belize Can, made a call to the Belizean public to continue to pressure the authorities and not allow the issue to be ignored or side -stepped.

“We are to blame,” Menzies said, “We’ve allowed these things to occur in our country and they get swept under the rug time and time again when we do nothing about it.”